Welcome to 10 Days of Simple Homeschool. For the next two weeks, I will be posting about all things simple in homeschooling. 10 Days of Simple Homeschool is about going back to the basics. Too often we tend to complicate our purpose by trying to do too much. Homeschooling can be very effective when we go back to the basics and let our everyday life be our classroom and learn by doing.
Simplifying Homeschool is dear to my heart-getting rid of all of the distractions that keep us from our purpose and from putting God first in all!
Some posts will be practical ideas, some will focus on our hearts, but all will be focused on keeping it simple.
A child has not begun his education until he has acquired the habit of reading to himself, with interest and pleasure, books fully on a level with his intelligence
~Charlotte Mason
My library is one of the best resources around for homeschool. It seems so simple and so obvious! You have access to thousands of free resources at your hands with a simple library card.
We make a habit of visiting the library at least once a week. Each child has their own card and they are responsible for what they take out on that card. It may seem silly to go up to the desk and take out books on
four different cards, but it is teaching each child a small step in responsibility.
At home we have a basket dedicated to library books. When not in use they must be in the basket. This helps reduce the chances of misplacing one, and earning fines.
Our library can also get books for us from any library within the county for free through the inter-loan system. We can place them on hold and they are delivered to our town’s branch ready for us to pick up. This is something we take advantage of for History, especially. We use
Truth Quest and for each chapter, I go through the list and place the ones we want to use on hold. Instant curriculum, all for
free.
We also use the library for “reports.” Every so often, I have the children pick any topic that they would like to research. Then we go to the library and pick out all the books that we can on that subject. They always learn so much more when it is a topic that they choose and are interested in.
Let your child pursue their interests. Children have a natural curiosity, and we don’t always have to keep them on the “plan.” Let them explore different subjects, pursue their interests, and let their natural curiosity lead the way.
Living books are a great way to incorporate subjects you are already learning. Let you child pick historical fiction books from the time period they are studying, or living books to bring science alive.
“Let him, on the contrary, linger pleasantly over the history of a single man, a short period, until he thinks the thoughts of that man, is at home in the ways of that period.
Though he is reading and thinking of the lifetime of a single man, he is really getting intimately acquainted with the history of a whole nation for a whole age.”
Charlotte Mason
So, I encourage you to use your library-it is a wonderful free resource that can provide a great return in your homeschool! Sometimes we don’t need to have the most elaborate curriculum, we just need a simple library card.
If you missed any posts here are those already published:
Day: 1: Cooking with Kids
Day 2: Why I Have Simplified Homeschool
The 10 Days Series is organized by iHomeschool Network, a collaboration of outstanding homeschool bloggers who connect with each other and with family-friendly companies in mutually beneficial projects. Visit us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. And of course, click the image below to visit all the 10 Days posts from these homeschool moms of the iHomeschool Network. You’ll be blessed with tips on how to handle bad days, cultivating curiosity, teaching with Legos, and much much more!Also, Simply Homeschool is #1 this week at Amazon.com for Homeschooling books. I am humbled that so many people are be being blessed by it.Simply Homeschool is now just $0.99 for download or for Kindle at Amazon.com Click
here for more info
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Join me on my journey to clear the clutter as I am simply living...for Him! I am a homeschooling mom sharing about my faith, family, hobby-farm life, and Jesus. I am also an author and speaker and love sharing my journey with others- and I am all about keeping it real and authentic! Join me as I seek less of this world and more of Jesus!
Karen DeBeus is a homeschooling mom learning to live more simply and keep God at the center of it all. She is the author of three best-selling homeschooling books and writes at Simply Living for Him. She speaks nationally at homeschooling conventions and recently was a speaker at the Family Bible Conference in Washington, DC. Her passion is to help others clear the clutter from their lives, seek God first, and to encourage women and families to get in the Word every day.
In 2016, she founded the Simply Living for Him Retreat, which is a time of rest and renewal for all women seeking Jesus. She enjoys life on her hobby farm with her husband and four children. Together they are a work-at-home family pursuing a simple life with purpose and, above all, seeking to glorify God in all they do.
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